


Our Language of Love

by orphan_account



Series: Our Language of Love [1]
Category: Free!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Future Fish, Angst, Established Relationship, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Minor Injuries, Policeman!Rin, Policeman!Sousuke, References to BDSM, Scientist!Rei, vague references to science-y things
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-24
Updated: 2015-03-12
Packaged: 2018-03-14 20:51:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3425189
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Its the third time in three months and Rin isn't sure what to think anymore.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Azalea

**Author's Note:**

> Eh, so this is sort of an experimental series. I already hella ship ReiRin and since reading the translation of Long Slow Distance of that Summer, my brain kind of exploded with SouReiRin. So just a heads up that this series is eventually going to turn into that.
> 
> This can be read as a stand-alone though. With worried boyfriend Rin and dumb, but cute boyfriend Rei. Enjoy!
> 
> also, un-beta'd! Sorry for any mistakes!
> 
> update: I just decided to put the whole thing together. Its basically a chaptered fic anyway.

azalea;

_“Take care of yourself for me”_

 

_“We’ve got an explosion at 1208 again, requesting back-up immediately, over.”_

 That word replayed itself in Rin’s head over and over again. From the moment Sousuke had taken one look at his partner’s face and turned the police cruiser around to head to the scene, to the moment Rin saw Rei sitting hunched over, covered in soot in the back of the ambulance.

It had been the third time that month.

 Rin couldn’t even say anything to Rei at first. They had just stared at each other in silence until Rin snapped.

“We’ll talk about it later.”

 Now was later, and Rin still had no fucking clue what to say to his boyfriend.

 Rei had gotten home before he had, and gone straight to sleep – apparently not wounded enough to warrant a hospital trip this time. Which was a goddamn blessing because Rin really would have hated getting thrown out for yelling at his hospitalized boyfriend.

 Not that he thought it would help. He had done enough yelling and crying the first time it had happened. And Rei had yelled and cried right back at him that time. The second time, Rin had started yelling, only to dissolve into tears when Rei’s throat was too messed up to give as good as he got.

 Fuck. Fuck.

How had this happened again?

Rin had already taken a long, hot shower, and though he’d normally eat around this time, his stomach was far too full of knots to think about forcing anything down. What he really wanted to do was go into their bedroom and shake his boyfriend awake and demand some answers. 

That wasn’t going to happen though.

Instead he snatched the remote from the coffee table and fell back into the comfy, but hideously patterned sofa that had been their first piece of mutually owned furniture. With a grunt, he turned on the tv, letting whatever channel it was play without caring about what was actually happening. All he needed right now was a distraction until Rei woke up.

 

* * *

 

 

Rin was half asleep when he felt the couch dip next to him, and he startled awake. Sitting up, he blinked in surprise as he saw his boyfriend sitting next to him, a clear foot away holding a glass of water in his hand. Quietly, Rin took stock of him. He was wearing a loose red and yellow t-shirt, his familiar red glasses perched on his nose and awful bed head. Looking closer though, Rin saw a bruise peaking from beneath Rin’s bangs and his hands were heavily bandaged and uncharacteristically shaky.

“Put that down, idiot.” Rin finally said, nearly snatching the glass from Rei’s trembling hand. “You’ll wreck the bandaging, at least get a straw.”

They still had some left over from the other times. 

“Rin…” Rei finally looked up at him, purple eyes wide behind his glasses. “Rin, I really must apologize, I…”

“Save it.” Rin interrupted him, holding up a hand. He swung his legs up on the couch and sat cross-legged, facing his boyfriend. “You say this every fucking time, Rei. Every, damn, time! You apologize and you wanna make up and pretend it never happened! What the hell is going on, Rei? You’re a fucking genius, you know better!” 

Rei winced at Rin’s words, visibly hurt at such viciousness. “Rin, its just my job. Just like bad things can happen at your job, bad things happen at mine.”

 “Rei, you’re a freaking scientist.” Rin ground his teeth. “Its your job to predict this stuff before it explodes, not just throw shit around and hope for the best.”

“T-that is not what I do at all!” Rei huffed. “My calculations this time must have been off by a little, if only I had triple-checked them. Actually if I looked at my notes now I might find the error…” 

“Hey!” Rin grabbed Rei’s arm, squeezing gently. His boyfriend had been doing that a lot lately, losing himself in his own thoughts and calculations when they were trying to talk. “Rei, please, talk to me. You gotta let me know whats going on. Rei… Rei, I don’t know how much of this I can take, you know?”

Suddenly, Rei’s head snapped up, and his eyes focused clearly on Rin. The blue-haired man’s mouth opened in shock, but no sound exited. Despite the silence, Rin didn’t remove his hand – knowing that sometimes Rei just needed someone else to be his anchor and keep his focus.

“Am I troubling you that much Rin?” Rei asked quietly, eyes suddenly sad.

“God, Rei…” Rin felt his bottom lip tremble, barely containing himself. “Every time I hear the words “explosion” or “fire”, even the word “again”. I keep thinking its you. And I keep thinking I’ll show up one day to your lab and this time it won’t be you sitting in the back of an ambulance. Just your body in a bag. Fuck, Rei, every damn time.” 

“Rin…”

“And just, its not just that you know? You barely eat, and you talk in your sleep and you seem tired all the time.” Rin could feel the tears coming and any second he was going to be a blubbering mess. “I’m worried about you. Just… take a break. Let your hands heal, let your body rest and just.. just stop for a minute. I know, I know your work is important to you Rei, but please…” 

Rei stared at Rin, never looking away even as the older man poured himself out. That had always been one of Rei’s great strengths, no matter what Rin said or how he said it – he would face him head and on and listen. 

“I’ve been instructed that I’m to keep my hands bandaged and medicated for a week. The burns are fairly bad this time…” Rei sounded apologetic. “And with the time it should take to clean-up the lab. I think I can afford some time off. You are right, Rin, I do have a tendency to jump back into things without thinking them through properly.”

Rei adjusted his glasses, a little, and a light blush spread across his cheeks. “I have been feeling off the last few weeks. I don’t know what it is. But maybe rest will help.”

“Rei…” Rin leaned forward and pulled his boyfriend against him, resting his chin on the younger man’s shoulder. They were silent for a while, Rin gently smoothing his fingers over Rei’s wrists, staring at the bandages and wishing there was more he could do to make it better. “Take care of yourself, okay? For when I can’t be there.” 

“Yes, Rin.” Rei replied promptly, relaxing into the red-head’s embrace. They were both still a little shaken by the day’s events, and they would still talk later. But for now, they were content to comfort each other this way.

Suddenly, Rin laughed a little, his warm breath tickling over the blue-haired man’s ear. “Shit, Rei, if you can’t cook for a week, what the hell are we gonna eat?”

Rei stiffened a little bit, before relaxing again and saying. "We could invite Sousuke-san over more often?”

“Heh. Sounds like a plan.” Rin smirked, kissing Rei’s neck gently. “Love you.”


	2. Hydrangea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sousuke is pretty sure he knows what is wrong with Rei. Unfortunately its not all that simple a problem to take care of.

hydrangea;

_“thank you for understanding”_

 

 

Sousuke had been Rin's friend for long enough that he was able to read any look on the red-head's face.

 Like the one he was currently giving Sousuke, trying to make his eyes seem wide-eyed and innocent, but his shiftiness suggested he was probably asking for a favor. Whatever It was, he had been throwing those looks over for nearly an hour without actually saying anything.

And it was not Sousuke’s job to start the conversation. He’d fall straight into Rin’s trap if he did that.

Instead he focused on finishing the last of his paperwork, reaching for the stapler and slamming it with a little more force than was necessary.

_Get on with it, Rin, I have places to be._

And by places to be, he meant home, so that he could warm up some leftovers and get some well-deserved sleep. The only thing bothering him right now was that due to Rin’s determination to play coy, he couldn’t ask if Rei was alright or not. Though he guessed by the fact that Rei didn’t turn up to work in a foul mood, everything had turned out fine. 

It was pretty annoying to have to get updates on his friend through Rin. He  ought to just steal Rei’s phone number from Rin, it would make his life so much easier.

Sousuke finished his paperwork and resolutely stood up, not even sparing Rin a glance. He turned to leave his desk, hesitating only because he knew what was coming. 

“Sousuke,  _really?”_

There was a slight whine in Rin’s voice that made Sousuke twitch, but he turned around anyway, a slight smirk on his lips. 

“I know you just as well as you know me, remember?”

“You are such a pain.” Rin rolled his eyes. “I should have just thrown something at your head.”

“You must really want me to ignore you today.” Sousuke replied. “Hows Rei?” 

“Hes alright. No hospital this time.” There was a clear note of relief in Rin’s eyes. But the red-head was obviously still troubled, and he looked down at his desk. “Just a few bumps and bruises. And his hands are pretty messed up. I helped him re-bandage them last night. The burns are… pretty bad.”

Sousuke winced a little, he could only imagine, what with the dangerous stuff Rei worked with. “Well it wasn’t so bad that he needed to go to the hospital. That’s always a plus.” 

Rin nodded. “Its just really messed up is all.” 

Finally Rin looked up at him, and he seemed almost sheepish of all of a sudden. “Look, this is gonna sound bad. But because of Rei’s injuries he can’t exactly cook… And well I could try but –“ 

“I’m coming over.” Sousuke cut him off, with a pointed glare. He would have rathered Rin had come out and said that earlier. “As if I’d let you subject Rei to your cooking.”

“Hey, you ate everything I made for you in college!”

“Cup noodles don’t count, Rin. And do I have to remind you how many times you managed to burn the water?” Sousuke shrugged and sighed. “I’m sleeping on your couch tonight.”

“Thank you, Sousuke.” Rin grinned, all sharp teeth and glittering eyes. “I owe you one.”

 

* * *

 

“Do you need anything else, Rei?” Sousuke asked as he returned to the living room from the kitchen. Rei was resting quietly, curled up on the couch.

The younger male was nestled under a bundle of blankets that Rin had insisted that he have, despite the relatively warm temperature. He was balancing a book on his knees, not quite able to keep a grip on it with his injured hands. There was a frustrated crease in his brow that suggested that this was not the ideal position for any type of reading.

Rei looked up though, when Sousuke approached holding out a mug full of tea. He managed a smile up at the older man, giving a nod of thanks as he carefully took the mug.

"Careful." Sousuke warned softly, before sitting on the floor and leaning back against the couch - cradling his own mug of tea in his hands. They had already eaten about an hour ago, and having witnessed Rin's awkward fussing over Rei, Sousuke had sent Rin out to get ice cream for dessert. He figured Rei needed a bit of a break from his boyfriend's constant hovering, no matter how well intentioned. 

Looking over at Rei, Sousuke could see how this latest incident was taking its toll on him. The crease in his brow, the twitch of his leg under the cover - he was restless from being unable to do as he pleased. Rin's worrying was mostly to blame, but in reality Sousuke couldn't blame him. He too had seen Rei's odd changes over the last month (months really, they just couldn't see it) and he was worried for his friend as well. He kept odd hours, ate very little and always seemed distracted in a way that neither of them had ever seen before. Even during his University years, double majoring and over working himself, Rei had never been quite this bad.

Secretly, Sousuke thought he might have an idea why.

"Rei, put the tea down." Sousuke could see Rei's bandaged hand trembling out of the corner of his eye. He watched as the younger man hesitated, blinking up from his book in a slight daze, before setting the mug down on the side table. 

"Good boy." Sousuke murmured gently, still carefully observing from the side. 

The twitch in Rei's leg stopped abruptly, and he could practically see the moment when the purple-haired man took in a sharp breath.

Ah, there it was.

It was looking more like his suspicions were true.

While there was no doubt that the bond he shared with Rin was probably one of the strongest and most important in his life. There were things he shared with Rei that he had never shared with anyone else close to him in his life. It was something they had both sort of stumbled upon knowing about each other, a private thing hat no one else knew about. Something that not even Rin knew about. 

It was back when Rei was in his second year of University, and Sousuke and Rin were at the Police Academy. Rei's parents were graciously paying for him to have an apartment off-campus, knowing that their son would be far too busy trying to double-major into two sciences to even think of taking on a part time job. Rin made it his job to stop by Rei's every once and a while to make sure he hadn't been buried alive under a pile of books and was properly taking care of himself. (Apparently it had nothing to do with the enormous crush he had on the brilliant younger man at all). Sousuke, by way of having nothing better to do had started tagging along, and found that he enjoyed the quiet and comfortable atmosphere of Rei's apartment. Despite his tendency for theatrics, the kid was incredibly geniuine and warm, shy when sincerely complimented, and un-phased by gentle teasing of his grand gestures. There was a lot to like about him, and he reminded Sousuke of Rin in the best way.

Rin had actually been in the bathroom at the time, showering after he was unluckily splashed with mud by a taxi car speeding its way down the road. Rei had just come back from his classes as well, and had changed from his normal swear and dress shirt combo into a more comfortable t-shirt, when Sousuke spotted the thick, dark leather band on Rei's wrist. It was so specific, and so un-Rei that Sousuke had known almost in an instance what it was. Shocked purple eys had met his wide turquoise one and almost immediately Rei had turned on his heel and hurried back to his bedroom. 

Without a second thought, Sousuke had gone after him - determined not to let the younger man get the wrong idea. Stopping Rei before he had a chance to close the door, Sousuke put a hand on his shoulder, gentle and re-assuring.  He discovered then that Rei's current boyfriend, Endou, was also his Dom and that he had only recently been given the cuff to wear outside of their normal scenes. Sousuke had been concerned, after all Rei was still so young, and this was very serious. But after talking with Rei, he realized that of course Rei wasn't getting himself into anything he couldn't handle. It was Rei, he was brilliant and he researched the ins and outs of everything before he dived headfirst into anything. The only thing Rei had asked him was to not tell Rin, he really wasn't sure what the other would think of it, and didn't want to lose the red-head as a friend. Wanting to reassure Rei, Sousuke confessed to him what he had never told anyone, that he was involve in the BDSM scene as well. He didn't have steady partner like Rei, but he would occasionally go to clubs to find a partner for a night.

If Rei could trust him enough to reveal himself as a sub, then Sousuke would reward him as a Dom.

The encounter had felt natural at the time, and with the shared secret between them it almost felt like they had been on the edge of something new. But Rin had finally finished his shower, and loudly proclaimed that he was starving and the two of them had better not be gossiping like old women at the corner store. Things went back to the way they had been, and though they grew close as friends - they had never talked about the incident ever again.

And as far as he knew, Rei hadn't said a word about it to Rin when they started dating. Sousuke didn't know anything about that part of Rei, so he couldn't judge whether leaving it behind had affected him so much. It was only Rei erratic behavior over the last few months that made him suspect anything.

"Rei." Sousuke suddenly said, looking to where the younger man had gone back to reading his book. "Did you ever tell Rin about Endou?" 

Rei looked up from his book, brows furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean, Sousuke-san? Of course he knew when I was dating Kenta."

"Thats not what I meant." Sousuke caught Rei's gaze. "How much did he know about your relationship?" 

"Only when we got together and when we broke up." Rei said a little stiffly, sitting up straighter, causing the book on his knees to wobble. "Nothing else mattered."

_You say that._

"Theres no shame in telling him." Sousuke sighed. "He loves you. He worries about you."

 Rei flushed brightly, as he always did in moments like these. He folded his hands gently in his lap, wincing a little at the pain of movement. "I know. I'm trying to figure it out, Sousuke-san. The way I have been these past few months has not been beautiful at all, has it?"

"Idiot." Sousuke couldn't help but smile a little bit. Rei was so damn sincere sometimes, it was cute and no matter what was going on, he would always be beautiful. "I think missing that part of your relationship is affecting you more than you think."

"You may be right." Rei admits softly. "I'll have to do some research perhaps, and decide from there. I really can't continue on like this."

"And if you need anything you let us know." Sousuke leaned toward him, face serious. "Rin or me. We're both worried about you. We both want to help."

"Thank you very much, Sousuke-san." Rei bowed his head slightly, there was a smile playing across his lips. "For the record. I worry very much about you and Rin when you are out doing your job. Please stay safe." 

 _Too cute. Much too cute_. It was all Sousuke could think for a few seonds before he smirked and reached over to pinch, Rei's legs playfully. "I've got it all under control. Rin is safe with me."

 "Of course he is." Rei said seriously. "And i know you are safe with him. You are both very important to me."

 

**Author's Note:**

> pssst, find moar fanart and fan writings at ooishi-makoto.tumblr.com


End file.
